The Reading List(28)

‘I, erm, I reserved this for you. You asked the other day for a recommendation; I thought this one might work.’ She hesitated. ‘Erm … it’s good.’

Mukesh held the book in his hands as though he’d never held a book before. He wanted to ask the young lady what it was about, but he didn’t know if that was a stupid question. Maybe he was meant to know already.

‘Dada, can I get this one please?’ Priya had appeared by his side, holding up The Wizard of Earthsea. Mukesh shrugged, looking to the girl behind the desk for some kind of guidance. She nodded.

‘Of course, you can take up to …’ she paused for a moment, ‘six books out at a time on each card.’ She pushed a library card with his name on it towards him.

Priya looked at her dada, nodding vigorously. He’d never seen her so animated. She swung from side to side, the book clutched to her chest.

‘You know, that book you’ve got, To Kill a Mockingbird, your granddaughter could read that too.’ The girl looked at him knowingly. Mukesh pondered this for a moment – remembering Rohini’s words that it was too grown-up for her.

‘So, this isn’t an introductory welcome book?’ he said, grabbing his library card.

‘Yeah, maybe, something like that. If you don’t wanna read it, that’s fine. But I thought it was good.’ She seemed suddenly unsure of herself, cautious.

‘I’ve heard of that book, Dada, it’s a film and everything,’ Priya jumped in.

‘Ha, beta? What is it about?’

Priya shrugged, a frown clouding her face. ‘I don’t know, I don’t know everything.’

Mukesh chuckled. The girl behind the desk breathed in, as though she was about to embark on a long speech, but all she said was, ‘It’s a good introductory novel, you know? A classic.’

‘Do you think I’ll like it, this book?’ Mukesh didn’t know who to look at – the girl, or Priya. He had liked The Time Traveler’s Wife but mainly because it had fallen into his lap at the right time and brought him closer to Naina.

The girl nodded.

Mukesh looked at the book cover. The title was scrawled like handwriting; he had to squint to make out the words. To. Kill. A. Mockingbird. ‘Why does it have that title?’ he asked.

‘There’s a line in it …’ the girl’s voice jumped. ‘Sorry, I won’t spoil it. You’ll have to read to find out. If you want to. No pressure at all.’

‘Yeah, Dada!’ Priya said, smiling at the girl, as though they were in on this together. Mukesh could see admiration in Priya’s eyes – the kind of look his daughters used to get when they met their older cousins, who they always looked up to as ‘cool young women’.

‘Can you recommend me any other books too? If I can take out six?’ Mukesh asked. ‘Including this one,’ he pointed to Priya’s book.

The girl stopped for a second, her eyes wide. ‘No, no, I think start with this. Trust me. It could, erm, give me an idea of what you should read next. If you like it.’

‘I’ll try it,’ he said, smiling at her. She smiled back. He looked down at Priya and smiled at her too. ‘I’m getting a book!’

‘I know, Dada, that’s cool,’ Priya said, handing over her Wizard book to the girl behind the desk. Mukesh followed suit.

‘Dada,’ Priya whispered. ‘And your library card.’ She nudged him gently in the ribs, and Mukesh did as he was told.

He watched as the girl scanned the card’s barcode. Beep. As she scanned each book in. Beep. Beep.

‘When should we give them back?’ he asked.

‘In three weeks. You can renew it on the phone or online if you need to.’

‘No, I will finish and I know she will finish too.’

‘Would you like a stamp reminder in the front of the book, just in case?’

Mukesh turned to the front page of To Kill a Mockingbird and noticed the Brent Council Libraries sheet, full of black, splotchy dates. So many! It was strange, the idea that this book wasn’t just for him, it was for everyone. All these people who had taken it out before him, people who would take it out after him. They might have read it on a beach, on the train, on the bus, in the park, in their living room. On the toilet? He hoped not! Every reader, unknowingly connected in some small way. He was about to be a part of this too. ‘Yes, please.’ He handed both books back to the girl, stamp at the ready, and as he watched, he wondered, had Naina ever held either of these books? She’d been here all the time, she’d read hundreds of books. Had To Kill a Mockingbird been one of them?

Mukesh put the book in his canvas shopping bag.

‘Sir, if you would both like to sit and read here, we even have a coffee machine and some juices. And what’s your name?’ she asked Priya.

‘Hello, I am Priya. What’s your name?’ Priya responded boldly, unexpectedly confident.

‘Aleisha, nice to meet you. Would you and your grandad like to sit here and read?’

Priya looked up at Mukesh, hopeful, but he shook his head – it was nearly five o’clock – time for Priya’s haircut! He felt both sets of eyes boring into him. Could they tell he was relieved? He didn’t want to sit here and read … he’d feel too self-conscious. He was glad for the excuse – and besides, there was no time to waste, or he’d never hear the end of it from Rohini.